Does Tottenham make it all clear in Marseille?
Crunchtime in the European Champions League. The big showdown will take place in Group D, the most exciting of all the preliminary round groups before the last matchday of the group phase. Here, even many a maths teacher would despair because of the complicated arithmetic games, which team will finish in which place in the group with which result.
The only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. Each of the four teams still has a chance of reaching the last 16. Only Tottenham have at least qualified for the Europa League, because nobody can take third place away from Spurs. The goal in Marseille for the team from London, however, is clearly the round of 16. A point would be enough for this.
The best bookmakers are quite optimistic about a point win for Spurs. For the Marseille vs Tottenham bet on the away win, odds in the lower two range can be found. The favourites are certainly justified here, with the English side already winning the first leg in London 2-0. And Conte’s team should certainly avoid playing for a draw and aim for victory in France, as a defeat could mean elimination in the preliminary round of the Champions League.
Marseille – Statistics & current form
After the eccentric former coach Sampaoli very surprisingly handed in his notice at the French traditional club in the summer, because he considered the squad not adequately strengthened for the top division, those responsible in Marseille had to act quickly. Igor Tudor, a stalwart defender at Juventus Turin, was appointed as the new head coach. Tudor had previously been a convincing coach in Italy with Hellas Verona, but his tough approach quickly caused problems with his new team. He clashed especially with star striker Payer, who is now often on the bench and has been replaced by star newcomer Alexis Sanchez from Inter Milan.
In general, there were major changes to the squad before the season. Nevertheless, the season started well for the club from the south of France. However, things have not been going well in the domestic league for a few weeks now, with three defeats and a draw. However, the fact that the team is strong enough to put in strong performances against the top teams in Europe was impressively demonstrated against Sporting Lisbon.
Since nine games without a win against English teams
In contrast to their upcoming group opponents, who only picked up one point against the Portuguese, Olympique managed to win both games against the Portuguese. But: in the first leg they had no chance against Spurs and also against Frankfurt Eintracht there was nothing to get for OM in both games. Further proof that Ligue 1 only plays fourth fiddle in Europe at best. But thanks to the six points against the Portuguese, Marseille still have every chance of reaching the last 16.
Nevertheless, the odds on Marseille against Tottenham from the bookmakers only indicate an outsider’s role for OM. And not without reason, after all, they remained winless against English teams in the last nine games in a row in the European Cup.
Apart from the successes in the Champions League against Sporting, Marseille have been out of form in the domestic league for weeks, with only one point from the last four games. The last time they won two Champions League matches at home was twelve years ago. We therefore do not expect Marseille to win against the strong team from the Premier League. For Marseille against Tottenham, the tip is therefore a two-way bet on the visiting team. The only player missing from Tudor’s crucial group game will be Bailly.
Predicted Marseille line-up:
Lopez, Mbemba, Kolasinac, Balerdi, Clauss, Guendouzi, Veretout, Tavares, Ünder, Harit, Sanchez
Last matches played by Marseille:
Ligue 1
30/10/2022 – Strasbourg 2 – 2 Marseille
Champions League Grp. D
27/10/2022 – Eintracht Frankfurt 2 – 1 Marseille
Ligue 1
23/10/2022 – Marseille 0 – 1 Lens
17/10/2022 – Paris Saint-Germain 1 – 0 Marseille
Champions League Grp. D
13/10/2022 – Sporting CP 0 – 2 Marseille
Tottenham – Statistics & current form
The best cards for the round of 16 qualification are held by the team from north London. Unlike all the other teams, Tottenham are not under immediate pressure to win. Even a draw in Marseille would be enough to advance to the last 16. However, the away game in France is also a dance on the razor’s edge, because a defeat could, in the worst case, leave them in the Europa League for the winter.
The group stage of the Champions League thus brings the first decisions that are still to come in the upcoming Winter World Cup.
Will Tottenham leave no stone unturned?
The English go into their upcoming final group stage encounter at the Stade Vélodrome as favourites. Lower odds can be found for an away win for Marseille against Tottenham than for a home win or a draw. This assessment of the bookmakers is also in order.
Tottenham have played a solid season so far. They are in third place in the strong domestic Premier League. They also ended a short dry spell in the league with two defeats in a row last weekend with a 3:2 away win against promoted Bournemouth. In the Champions League group stage, they have lost only one game so far. A poor performance at home to Sporting Lisbon saw them miss out on early qualification for the last 16.
With a win Tottenham would have been through, but in the end they only managed a draw. Nevertheless, we expect Tottenham to prevail in Marseille, or at least to get the one point needed to advance. The quality in the squad is undoubtedly higher than that of their upcoming opponents, and they had little trouble against the French side in the first leg, winning 2-0.
The starting position plays into Spurs’ hands
However, Tottenham have struggled at times away from home this season. The league record in away games is mixed (2-2-2). Tottenham have also failed to win their last four away games in the Champions League and have not even scored a goal in their last three away games. Meanwhile, Spurs have never gone four away games in a row without scoring a goal in the top flight.
The fact that Marseille have to win and will therefore risk a lot should play into the English side’s hands on Tuesday. The offensive line around Kane and Son will be happy to take advantage of the available space. If coach Conte’s team wins in Marseille, it would also be the first away victory in France in European competition in the club’s history. And the English favourites are certainly capable of a victory. The forecast for Marseille against Tottenham is therefore for at least a point for Spurs. Conte will be missing Kulusevski and Richarlison in France.
Predicted Tottenham line-up:
Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Sessegnon, Bentancur, Höjbjerg, Perisic, Lucas, Son, Kane
Last matches played by Tottenham:
Premier League
29/10/2022 – Bournemouth 2 – 3 Tottenham
Champions League Grp. D
27/10/2022 – Tottenham 1 – 1 Sporting CP
Premier League
23/10/2022 – Tottenham 1 – 2 Newcastle
20/10/2022 – Manchester United 2 – 0 Tottenham
15/10/2022 – Tottenham 2 – 0 Everton
Marseille – Tottenham Direct comparison / H2H record
This year’s first leg in the Champions League group stage, which Spurs won 2-0, was the only meeting between the two sides so far. So there are no meaningful head-to-head statistics for this match.
Tottenham’s record against French teams is positive, however, with six wins, four draws and only three defeats. OM’s record against English teams, on the other hand, is less good. Eight victories are offset by a total of 18 defeats, with only five draws.
Marseille – Tottenham tip
The starting position before the match is clear. The French must win the game to still enter the round of 16, while Spurs will need a point. Nevertheless, we assume that coach Conte’s team will play it safe and try to win the game. At the very least, we trust Conte’s eleven to win the point. As Spurs’ recent winning record in the top flight, especially in away games, is not too good, we hedge the Marseille vs Tottenham tip as a DNB bet.
Those who have followed Spurs’ games in the Champions League so far will know that, with the exception of the home game against Frankfurt, not too many goals have been scored in those games. Coach Conte’s rather pragmatic style of play is the main reason for this.
Therefore, we assume that there won’t be too many goals at the Stade Velodrome either. Tottenham will try to keep the score as close as possible for as long as possible and then take advantage of the available spaces, when Marseille will have to open up more and more in the course of the game in order to win the match. Therefore, it is quite possible that one or at most two goals will decide the game here. The Marseille vs Tottenham prediction on Under 2.5 goals is shown with good odds at bookmaker Bet365, among others.
